Small Pearl's Thoughts

From her perch on the top of the solid, glass-doored bookcase, Small Pearl surveyed her world. The apartment was quiet, so still. Normally her lofty position allowed her direct sight of the only door to the outside world. Daily she watched friends, acquaintances, and members of the family come and go. Some times she would forget that this home was actually in China, her country of birth. So many of her family's friends were foreigners. But then a neighbor or guest would turn up with dark hair speaking the tonal language that seemed stitched into her being and yet she didn't completely know it. Then she remembered. But for now the place was completely quiet, because the family was away on a trip. Not that they paid much attention to her when they were there; but the three boys brought a certain boisterousness and energy to the home that kept it pulsing, and the phones would be ringing, and, of course people, always people, coming and going.

Fish

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Friday, March 20, 2009

Small Chinese Cloth Dolls

My collection includes these small (10.5") cloth girl & boy dolls in Chinese dress as well. When I originally bought them, the sellers said that they were from the Philippines. I do not know if they were just mistaken or that this type of cloth doll was actually also produced there. Their appearance is clearly Chinese. It should be noted that the Chinese boy dolls typically seem to have a ponytail, actually called a queue or cue. This "hairstyle consisted of the hair on the front of the head being shaved off above the temples and the rest of the hair braided into a long ponytail" (Wikipedia Queue - hairstyle). It's interesting that, while this hairstyle iconically represents a certain time period in Chinese history, it was actually forced on the Han men in the 17th century by their Manchu oppressors. The queue lasted on in to the early 20th century. (This information also came from the Wiki article linked above.)